Last Two Under the Red Lights of Doom
(Though Not Necessarily the Bottom Two Couples)
Hope Solo and Maksim Chmerkovskiy
Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya

Eliminated
Carson Kressley and Anna Trebunskaya

“This has been pure joy for me,” said Carson, who got the lowest total scores from DWTS‘ fuddy-duddy judges despite being far and away the most entertaining contestant of the show’s 13th season. “I hope I could make people smile and laugh and have a great time.” Moments later, in a pre-taped “highlights” package, Carson left us with one final, fabulous bon mot: “This week, Dancing With the Stars. Next week, Governor of Texas.” Yee haw!

What do you think? Did the right couple go home? If not, who should it have been? Sound off in the comments, and for all my reality TV recaps, follow me on Twitter @MichaelSlezakTV!

Okay, Carson may not have been the best dancer ever, but he was by far the heart and spirit of the season. I always looked forward to his routines and rehearsal segments. He never failed to make me laugh or smile. In fact, I think he’s been the ONLY one to do so. And a Carson-less Broadway week? What is this?!

Another week of ho-hum Nancy, Chaz, Rob, and Hope. I’m thrilled beyond words. *sarcasm* Ricki and J.R. will do well, and David will be zany and curiously charming. But without Carson and Anna, this season has already become lacklustre.

I agree, it is so frustrating when Kritin, Chynna two of the better/best dancers (Ricki) leave, and then Carson the entertainer of the show (David) leave and WHO STAYS? Hope sad sack, horrible personality, and Chaz who has not been up to par on his dances or personality BUT HE CAN SMILE.

This is not a popularity contest nor a comedy act nor a gay coming out party. This is a dancing contest, REMEMBER!Some people ( including the writer of this article) are too stupid to realize, THIS IS A DANCING COMPETITION! If you want to produce a gay comedy act, produce your own show. don’t take someone else’s show and revise it to suit your taste. Chaz should have left the first week. God knows he can’t dance.Then Nancy. This week Carson should have gone. The dance he did was very poorly done. Ricki Lake’s ability has been totally blown out of proportion. She gets worse every week.?The people voted off should still be there if they had been judged for their dancing.

Who said ANYthing about him being gay? Who cares? He was fun to watch. That’s honestly what the show is about. Entertainment. If you ENJOY a couple dancing you vote for them. If you DON’T enjoy them you don’t. How many people actually have the right amount of expertise to vote properly?

I totally agree. This is the first season I have watched DWTS, and it will be the last. Your telling me Chaz is still there and Carson voted off? Carson is all “Heart”, I only watched because of him and now I understand how the voting goes, I will not be watching anymore.

How can you think Carson going home was that much of a wrong result? I mean, I LOVED him for the entertainment factor… but he was clearly at the bottom of the pack talent-wise. The only two close to being better candidates are Hope Solo and Nancy Grace.

Exactly! Hope should have gone. She is way OVER scored each week. No way did she and Ricki dance the same skill of 24! Hope also has a horrible personality and temper. She was fined and sanctioned by the Atlanta pro soccer team. She swelled up like a toad tonite when she was placed under the red light. She has a nasty temper!

I think you might be overreacting just a bit. I wouldn’t say Hope has a horrible personality, I would say she’s an athlete, and a world-class one at that. World-class athlete’s aren’t fans of being at the bottom of anything/losing. It’s a normal reaction from someone who does what she does. Also, she plays for the Florida-based team, the magicJack, not Atlanta. Even if she was fined by the team, it happens all the time in other sports. It’s a part of the sports culture. Don’t compare apples and oranges.

@calm down While I agree that professional athletes do not like being at the bottom of anything, I disagree that they all would behave the way Hope has with the rolling eyes of disdain and the stink eye look everytime Maks corrects her. Athletes have traditionally done well because they are used to taking correction and trusting in their coaches. Emmett Smith, Jerry Rice, Apolo Ohno, Hines last year, none of them were dancers when they began and took quite a bit of criticism but they grew with each critique and trusted their coaches to bring them up to speed. Hope does none of that.

Maks has been keeping Hope alive, but I think she has all but given up. She has such a puss face on all the time. You can tell they are not getting along at all Maks didn’t even touch her during the last 3 elimination process untill the very last second when they were safe. Usually he is very touchy feely IN A GOOD WAY :~). I think Hope is just a nasty bitch and had to force myself to vote to just look at Maks for a week more. Hope has done nothing to help her post soccer career. What a shame, I really wanted to like her and root for her. I usually like the female athletes ohh well.

It will be more boring without Carson, next week. The fun will all have to come from David now, and Ricki is the only amazing dancer left. Yeah, JR is OK, but I find no thrill in watching him dance and as far as Karina goes, I could spend the rest of my life never having to look at that women again.

I agree. I can’t believe it because normally I would see that he is not the best dancer, by far, and it was not wrong that he went home this week. But I think he added some extra joy to the show, he was always happy, fantastic attitude and so funny. I am really going to miss that every week. Why can’t he have Brooke’s job??? :)

NO ONE is enraged! Everyone is voicing an opinion and being true about how they felt about the show and how it is progressing toward loosing all the good dancers and good entertainers that are more fun to watch.

Um. Michael Slezak is one of the best writers I’ve ever read. In what regard do you consider this brief article to be “lame?” Also — there are several people who have posted that they very much enjoyed Carson’s performance and regret that he’s gone. Do you think they’re all lovers? I bet they are. How fun. And although Michael’s writing is exceptional, I think referring to him with a capital H is maybe a bit much. And enraged=engaged. So what?

Casper Friendly, you are so right. This is the lamest year yet. Can’t bring myself to watch competition but tune in around 9:55 on Tuesday to see who got sacked. Soccor players do not dancers make, and with that attitude, what a drag! I just want to know why those foolish “judges” have orgasms over Rob K! The guy stinks, all he does is move his arms while the feet are nailed to the floor. Oh, well – this show is certainly not worth getting all riled up about. Should be nominated for best comedy series.

I STARTED WATCHING A FEW WEEKS AGO AND MAY I SAY THAT WHEN I WAS MUCH YOUNGER I WAS A LINDY HOPPER AND A DANCING NUT. I SEE NOW AS THE WEEKS GO BY THAT IT IS NOT ABOUT THE DANCING BUT THE “FANS” OF THE WORST DANCERS.THIS IS NO COMPETITION BUT HOW MANY PHONE CALLS THAT ARE MADE BY CHER
S FANS,NANCY’S PALS ON HLN ETC. AFTER CARSON WAS FINISHED,SO WAS I. IT WAS A GREAT IDEA,LOTS OF FUN AND HARD,HARD WORK BY NON-PROFFESSIONALS BUT IT IS NOW NOT ANY FUN AND NOT ENJOYABLE ANY MORE. CHAZ IS HANGING ON,NANCY AND HOPE WILL BE GONE BUT THEY TRY SO HARD I MUST SAY. KRISTEN AND CHYNNA SHOULS STILL BE THERE. GET RID OF LEN,HE DRIVES ME NUTS!!!!!

If you want to watch a gay comedy act, change the channel. If you want to watch people who can’t dance learn to dance, and perhaps pick up a move or two yourself, watch DWTS. After all the complaints, you stll watch the show!!!! This a show is for people who
love dancing. Remotes are made so we can sit in our chairs and change the channel if we don’t like the show.

The producers have decided what it is, it is a reality show with a call in audience vote. As such, the judges judge the dancing but the viewing audience votes. It is more about ratings and creating drama to maintain the ratings. It has always been this way with this show. The difference in the past seasons from the earlier seasons is the caliber of the “star”. They have people who are not stars and have done nothing to earn being there. Their sole claim to fame is riding the wave of a famous relative or their involvement in a sleazy reality show. But it is still about pro dancers teaching non dancers to dance with an occasional dancer thrown into the celebrity pile.

I’m praying it is Nancy. She’s boring and almost as bad as K8 was.
Rob (who also has no personality)seems to be growing in skills, but he’s not really on a par with JR. With Chaz, there’s at least personality and joy as well as growth. He’ll never be a ballroom dancing leader, but at least it’s good to watch him grow.

Or the big gruff Amazon looking athlete, Hope. She has one of the best dancers on the show for an instructer if she wasn’t too self centered to listen to him.Why is it that entertainers like Country Music, movie and TV actors and actresses and Athletes make a name for themselves in their field and suddenly they think they know everything, especially contest and polotics. Most of them have very little education, they are dumb as dirt but think they know or pretend to know how to run the world, thus they don’t need to listen to a coach.

Hmmm, I’m not sure how I feel about this. On the one hand, he wasn’t very good and now that we’re getting farther into the season, we should be whittling out the uncoordinated dancers of the pack. On the other hand, he was incredibly funny and entertaining, and there are definitely others that are equally as bad as him, if not worse, that are really boring to watch and should have gone home over him. So….I guess I’m not thrilled. This has been a really strange season of DWTS, from their proclamation of only bringing in A-list celebrities, to their actual celebrity choices, to what’s happened with the eliminations. I’m not enjoying this season like I have others in the past.

I feel like Carson blew it. He could have actually tried to incorporate some legit dance moves but he went the route of full goofball. Ithink he could have been just as entertaining and actually learned some steps. People like to see that you are at least taking it seriously. I felt he thought he could get by on his charm alone without trying. Now I’m all for him getting Brooke’s job but I’m ok with his departure.

I agree. I love Carson but that cheerleading number was too far removed from any form of legitimate dance. In previous performances there was an honest effort to try to dance properly while creating his own brand of entertainment. This routine was too campy and far too lacking in dance content. I actually found the score he received to be way too high. But he will be missed.

Why did Carson think he could make up his own goofy dance and professional judges and people at home who tuned in to see some professional dancing would accept his goof-off. Did he forget that he had a coach who knew how to dance when he decided to take over the show? Did he forget that the judges were professionals and they weren’t about to turn the show over to him. Carson should learn when to talk and when to shut up, the key words being, shut up!!!!

WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! O pleEEEEEEEEEEEase don’t tune out!! We will miss you so much. You are letting us down! What will do without you? Please don’t go, linstro.we are so aware of your presence when the show is on. Please don’t go!!! Oh, by the way, this show was designed for people who love dancing. Change the channel if you want to watch the Carson’s of TV. Don’t try to make a silly comedy show of a dancing show. Everything in life is not funny. Some of us like a good serious competition without the gay comedy. Please dn’t try to convert the few serious shows there are left to nasty mouth comedy.

Chaz should have been sent home weeks ago, then Nancy then Carson.The one’s who were sent home prior to this week, were much better than any of the above mentioned. Chaz can’t dance. Nancy is too fat to be graceful and her dresses made her look slutty. Carson was too determined to run the show. He probably could have learned to dance if he had concentrated on doing what he was supposed to be doing, DANCING!!!! Instead of trying to run the show according to his gay taste. Nacy is staying, not because of her appearance and her dancing, but her popularity on her show,where she helps find missing children and women. I’ll bet half hose people don’t even watch DWTS. They just vote for Nancy because she announces nation wide that all of her earnings will go to help missing and exploited women.People should have to answer a random question about the show before they can vote and be limited to one vote. Eventually, this kind of voting will destroy the show.

yeah, not too cute, she wanted to go home and I would be more than happy to send her home (if I only had such power). She totally doesn’t get the spirit of the show, she sucks all the joy out of it and she is consistently over scored. I will miss Carson greatly, he was a joy to watch (read that Hope), he is just as funny and super sweet and cute in person. He was at my Karaoke show in May and sang two songs with his boyfriend (one was a Cher song, he killed it), and tweeted about it afterwards.

Hope is definately over rated by the judges. Her feet look as if she is playing soccer half the time and they keep harping on the other dancers about their ecpression, why don’t they gripe at her about her two expressions. Either angry or no expression at all. If I were Maks I would let this be a first. I would tell he to go back to kicking soccer balls and I would walk out on her.

Did you not listen to the confessional? She is P.O.’d that she is being placed under the red lights each week. HINT to Hope you are a bad dancer and personality stinks! GET OVER YOURSELF b/c the rest of us already have gotten over you!

Bitch faces are usually found on Bi#@hes. She was a real smart@$$ this week. She came to be coached but can’ stand criticizm. I think she feels totally out of her orbit. She should have dressed like a man and had a lady instructer. She looks very masculine. she seems to want to tell her coach how she wants to do it and she got the wrong coach for that to happen.

I absolutely thought Hope was a goner tonight. She was a friggin’ rag doll in her dance on Monday and Maks looked like he was throwing her around to get her to do the moves. She doesn’t even look like she wants to be there anymore. Frankly, I was shocked Carson was even in jeopardy let alone the one sent home tonight. Sure he was an awful dancer, but since when does that matter on this show anyway?! He was more fun than just about everyone else there. Now I only have JR to care about seeing anymore. And seeing how the judges have an issue with Karina for some unknown reason, my guess is that they will do everything they can to make sure she and JR do not win and thus giving ANOTHER mirrorball to golden boy Derek and Ricki, whom he dances around but they still get higher scores than JR and Karina most every week. I blame the judges for Carson going home since they made sure that people with lesser fan bases would be pumped up enough to surpass him even with fewer viewers voting for them. How many people will not bother to tune in next week because he’s not there? And it’s Broadway next week too, isn’t it?! He could’ve even further elevated the camp!!!

For me, Carson made the show worth watching. I don’t get the judging. How they can continue to give Chaz scores above a 5 baffles me. I don’t understand their love affair with him. Sure, he seems like a decent guy, buy come on! How can you criticize Carson, who at least shows some energy and movement, and give Chaz scores above a 5????

You don’t understand why they keep Chaz? Because he is Gay that’s why. He blends in with one or possibly two of the judges. God knows it’s not his so called dancing! did I see him crawl up the steps to the desk he finished his dance on? I believe I saw that in the recap.

I’m a little confused by all these comments. I’ve always felt this was a dance competition first and foremost and being the lover of dance as I am the entertainment was watching the dancing not just the so called star. I love Carson but I can’t say he was the wrong one to go, his routine sucked. So did Nancy and Hope, Chaz’s was the best he has ever been and I see improvement for him (which may have something to do with him getting better physically) so I do feel he should have stayed. I think the enragement is funny cause everyone was upset about Kristan and Chynna ouster because they were two of the best. Now everyone is upset cause the worst dancer was voted off but because he was funny he should have stayed. You can’t have it both ways people, either the better dancers should stay or the ones who crack you up and lets face it the comedians have not danced well but are fun to watch. I do think Hope should go because she has a bad attitude and I have to say she is the first athlete who has ever acted like that and poor Maks had to get her after having so much fun with Kirstie last season. I hope Hope doesn’t scare our Maks off.

Lana — thank you for stating that viewers can’t have it both ways. Here we have the perfect example of the process working….a dancer, regardless of how entertaining (and I love Carson), received the rightfully lowest scores by the judges…and the voters made the same decision. So the viewers need to come to terms with what they want — the best dancer or the most entertaining, because they aren’t always going to be the same. My front runner is JR — wonderfully dancer and, I think, very entertaining with a great back story.

The point is, you have to bring something to the party. Maybe it’s good dancing, maybe it’s a great personality, maybe it’s energy and humor. Give viewers something to enjoy. The show is about entertainment, with dance as a framework. You don’t have to have it both ways, but have have to have it at least one way, and a lot of these contestants don’t.

You are a dreamer!! This show is not about bringing something to the party, personality or humor or something to enjoy or entertainment with dance as a framework!!!!! They hire entertainers to add the extra entertainment. This show is about professional dancers teaching contestants, non-dancers, to dance in a few short weeks and testing to see who learned the most. That’s it. This is a show about dancing, plain and simple. NOT all the other Gobblety Goop you chose to incorporate into it.

Carson the worst dancer on the show??? Have you all really watched Chaz???? When did running up the stairs become a dance move??? Or walking around your partner? His routine was so much better this week that he got even better scores – because he shook his backside? Come on!
I have some experience with dance and did at least see some footwork and movement from Carson. Not the best, but in my opinion he was NOT the worst dancer. The judges, however, did not feel a need to cry over him (Carrie Ann), fawn over him because of his famous parents, or give him the sympathy vote.

He was the worst one, of course he should have gone home. After weeks of better dancers it should have been either him, Chaz, or Nancy Grace – Carson being the worst. While he was undeniably fun, for the show to be even more entertaining I want to see the better dancers. Next to go will hopefully either be Chaz or Nancy Grace.

It was definitely Carson’s time after that horrible routine. Even Chaz danced better than Carson did this week. Chaz suprised me this week with his improvement. But Carson went for outrageous and it did not play in Peoria, or anywhere else it seems.

I love Maks I think this will be his last year. I haven’t voted for him because I cant stand “HOPE SULK” and her arrogant attitude. Not to mention her awful dancing and personality. Maks fans are not doing him a favor power voting to keep him in the competion can’t they see he is just miserable with her. In all the years I have watched dwts have never seen anyone whine like her. Isn’t an athlete supposed to be strong! Hope take your soccer ball and go home we won’t miss you. On a happier note I am hoping that JR takes the win what a dancer and the man is an inspiration to all.

Did you forget about Kate Gosslin? Hope and Kate should be roommates. They have been the two whineist women ever on DWTS. They are both bossy bitches and think the world should bow down to them. Amazing how fast Kate has been forgotten. This should tell her how despised she is.Hope will be forgotten as soon as she is kicked off. Poor Maks. People, vote Hope out so Maks don’t go totally crazy. He don’t deserve her!!!!!!

DWTS is an entertainment show. We watch to be entertained and uplifted. Carson was that glue. Carson should’ve been kept for at least one or more shows, because he maintained interest in a rather boring group of contenders. Nancy Grace is, IMO, the worst, because she’s boring, wooden, and difficult to watch–but she brings lots of free publicity to the show via her hawking on HER show (pandering for votes). I don’t believe for one minute that the scores aren’t manipulated by the producers. And the others are boring, boring, boring. Carson brought fun, joy and absolutely riveting entertainment amidst the boredom. So, I, for one, will stop watching.

At this point, I don’t care. JR is wonderful and, IMO should win. Ricki is pretty good. But the rest are boring. I think JR should win, but the show just won’t be interesting to watch anymore. BORING. So, instead of taking space on my TiVo to fast forward through all but JR would be a waste. I deleted my Seasons Pass.

Again, Chaz and Nancy Grace escaped the fate that should have been theirs. Grace can have some “pretty” moments … and I do have a soft spot for Chaz, but c’mon people! It will be so much more boring than it already is without Carson.

If the question is serious and not rhetorical, then Chaz should be long gone.
The fact that he is still there says volumes about the viewers of the show and their voting method.
Chaz may be a good sport and try hard, I’ll give him that. But if the issue is who should go, it should have been Chaz 4 weeks ago minimum.
This is already a joke.
In addition, the fact that Nancy Grace is still around is a testiment to how many National Enquirer readers are out in force to keep her on the show.

While I agree that Chaz was the worst dancer coming out of the gate and as such deserved to be eliminated weeks ago, this week he outdanced Carson. Carson did give the worst performance of the week and thus should have been the one to go based on this performance. It gets harder every week as we approach the end and one bad performance could mean elimination. That is what happened to Carson. We don’t know how close to the bottom Nancy Grace or Chaz were. They could have been quite close as the “in jeopardy” couples are not neccesarily the bottom 3.

I like the show because you can watch the dancers improve from week to week, not because some annoying clown likes to prance around making a fool of himself.Who is this Carson guy anyway? I’ve never heard of him.

Neither have I!!!!! They probably snatched him up from a gay parade in CA. After all, the show is not stars dancing with the starew. It’s Dancing Stars dancing with non dancers. The non dancers are DWTS.

They say it’s a dancing competition, but anytime the public is invited to have a say, it becomes a contest of the more enthusiastic fans. You have to take what you get. If only the judges’ say counted, you would get a much different result. And even then….the judges aren’t that great…continually OVERSCORING that wooden Kardashian dude.

I wish Carson had stayed. More entertainment value in his pinky than any other contestant.
I wanted Nancy, Hope, Kardashian to go far before Carson!

My Carson has been eliminated – a travesty of epic proportions. He was the one contestant who was genuinely grateful to be involved, worked very hard, always had a smile on his face, didn’t complain of aches and pains, and could entertain. His departure was a mistake. And who remains? Chaz (the Bristol/KateG for the season), Rob (wooden and stiff), Nancy (good attitude, little aptitude) and Hope (incredible athlete being asked to tolerate that disgusting pig Max). Winner: JR.

These comments are highly entertaining. People complain about Carson leaving, but they probably didn’t vote for him. No one complains about Rob K. even though he moves about as well as a rhino. I personally don’t care if Hope stays or goes. Yay if she stays and yay if she goes because then she can get back to training for something called the olympics. And for those of you who don’t know, Hope was made to do this by her PR firm. She stated when she first heard of Maks wanting her during the world cup that her shoulder was not healed and she wanted to go from the world cup, to recuperation and then to focus on the olympics, not dancing.